The team was accused of triggering political commotion at Nedziwa Business Centre where they had staged the play and was charged with criminal nuisance. Eight artists, a driver and a tour manager, were all taken to Cashel Valley Police Station just after staging the play.
Among the incarcerated were talented actors and actresses that include Chipo Bizure (who played Eve in Studio 263), Zenzo Nyathi (known as Mzambani in Amakorokoza), Silvanos Mudzvova, Mandla Moyo, Joyce Mpofu and Rutendo Chigudu.
According to Rooftop Promotions marketing manager Tafadzwa Muzondo, there was no clear charge when the artists were detained over Wednesday night and the police only levelled criminal nuisance charges against the team on Thursday, which saw them spending their second night in cells.However, the team was released on Friday afternoon after the prosecution department at Mutare Magistrate Courts ordered the police to compile a full docket after which the case would proceed by way of summons.
The Rituals team is being represented by Cosmas Chibaya under instructions from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
The play had been staged in 16 parts of Manicaland and four shows had to be aborted following the team’s detention. The Rituals national tour proceeded to Masvingo yesterday.
Rooftop Promotions founder and producer Daves Guzha was furious over the arrest and detention of his team saying it had come as a surprise because the play had been cleared by the Board of Censors and they had police clearance to stage the play in many parts of Manicaland.
“It is sad that our artistic work in promoting national healing and reconciliation, through a play that has been seen by the Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration and has been approved by the Board of Censors, is being thwarted like this,” lamented Guzha.
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One of the accused actors, Mudzvova, said the incident was an unfortunate attempt to silence the voice of the arts when the aim of the tour was to educate people on how they can get over their harrowing political experiences.
“The police tried to coax us into paying a fine for a crime we never committed and as artists we took a collective stand to let the law take its course because we are not criminals but professionals doing our job,” he said.
Rituals, which is also available on DVD, has been on a national tour since last year and the team intends to cover all the provinces.
